We Have Issues

Ponte Vista Hearing Announced for Late June
TV Townhall, Council Election This Week

Civic-minded San Pedrans are booked for nightly meetings Monday through Thursday of this week.

And, now, there’s another date to calendar.

The City of L.A. has just announced a public hearing about the proposed Ponte Vista housing project on Western Avenue. The hearing will take place on Thursday, June 26 at 5 p.m. at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.

The L.A. City Planning Department is holding the hearing solely to take testimony. No decisions will made at the meeting.

People with strong opinions about Ponte Vista may be found at this week’s townhall meeting sponsored by ABC7 TV. The meeting is an opportunity for community leaders to tell station executives about newsworthy local issues.

The “ABC7 Listens” townhall is free and open to the public. It takes place at 6 p.m. at the Port of Los Angeles High School, 250 W. Fifth St.

Last week’s story contains additional information about the meeting, hosted by the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council.

In other council news, the Northwest council will be electing half of its 17-member board on Thursday.

All offices are uncontested, with only one candidate filing for each of the eight seats. Candidates include three San Pedrans making their first runs and five incumbents seeking another term.

The election is 1 to 7 p.m. at Peck Park.

As for determining who is eligible to vote, the city clerk has advised the council that “all that is required of voters is that they state affirmatively that they are stakeholders in the Northwest council area.”

Regarding the Ponte Vista hearing, Councilwoman Janice Hahn said it is “an important opportunity for the community to let the Planning Department know how they feel” about the proposed 1950-unit development.

“This is a blighted piece of property that is in desperate need of redevelopment,” said Hahn. “The question is, how big of a development do we want?”

The Planning Department will issue a recommendation at some point after the hearing, taking into account the public testimony it heard.

The staff’s recommendation will go before the appointed City Planning Commission, which will debate the issue and vote on a position. The commission’s opinion will be forwarded to the city council, which will ultimately decide the project’s fate.

For background information about the proposed development, visit the official Ponte Vista site and the grassroots opposition R Neighborhoods Are 1.